REMINDER – Alberta Jobs Now grant to offset new hires and job training

The Government of Alberta announced a recent federal-provincial job grants program that may help you offset costs of training programs provided by the Propane Training Institute.

CPA members in Alberta may be eligible for the new Jobs Now grant to cover some of the costs associated with hiring new employees or training. This funding will be made available to private and non-profit employers in the form of grants to cover salary or training costs for unemployed or underemployed Albertans.

The grant will cover 25 per cent of an employee’s salary for a 52-week period up to a maximum of $25,000 per employee and can be used to cover salary or training costs. Employers who hire persons with disabilities will receive a grant 1.5 times higher than the amount they receive for other new employees.

To be eligible for the grant, private sector businesses or non-profit organizations must use the funding to hire unemployed Albertans in a new or vacant position. The new hire must reside and work in Alberta and must not have worked for the employer within the past 90 days.

Grants will be paid out in instalments, meaning employers will have to commit to a full year of job creation to receive all the money. Each employer will be eligible to apply for funding for up to 20 new employees.

The eligible training costs listed in the Alberta Jobs Now application guidelines are as follows:

• Training must be relevant to the current operational needs of the business and result in skills development directly connected to the available job;
• Courses offered by a third-party trainer that is separate from the employer (tuition fees, fees charged by a training provider, mandatory student fees, textbooks, software, required materials, and examination fees) or training offered inhouse where third party training is not available;
• Courses delivered online, onsite, or in a classroom, and may be undertaken on either a part-time or full-time basis;
• Training to start and be completed within the duration of the grant;
• Training takes place in Alberta except under exceptional circumstances.

For more information or to apply for the grant, click here. Employers have until Aug. 31 to apply. A second intake will open on Sept. 15 and close on Dec. 31.